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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does the man who claims to have Callie want Milton to negotiate a ransom price with him?

2. Where do Rex and Jerome take Callie and the Object while they are vacationing?

3. How does Milton die?

4. Which of the following does NOT occur at the hunting lodge?

5. Which of the following is NOT a reason why Tessie and Milton feed their family only traditional Greek foods?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the connection between the mulberry tree outside of Middlesex and the silk industry?

2. Compare and contrast Milton's and Chapter Eleven's views on the Vietnam War.

3. How does Milton react to his impending death after running his car off of the bridge?

4. What does Desdemona reveal to Cal when he returns home?

5. Describe the circumstances that lead Milton to cancel the Stephanides family's trip to Turkey.

6. What information does Callie get about her condition when she meets with Dr. Luce?

7. Why does Callie name her love interest "the Obscure Object"?

8. How does Milton attempt to down play Callie's condition when telling her about the course of treatment?

9. Why does Callie not discover her hermaphroditism in this chapter?

10. What does Callie notice in Miss Grotowski's math class that makes her question her own physical development?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides juxtaposes scenes from the past with the narrator's present life in Berlin. Select one of the chapters where he does this and:

1) Describe the past and present scenes presented in the chapter.

2) Discuss the relationship between the two scenes. What do the two scenes have to do with each other? Why does Eugenides choose to place these two scenes from different time periods within the same chapter?

Essay Topic 2

Middlesex looks at the relationship between gender and physical sex (i.e. male or female body parts and hormones). Discuss what the novel says about:

1) the relationship between the two. Are they always the same or different? Why?

2) what influences gender? Is physical sex the only thing that determines gender? What else influences gender?

Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas. Then comment on the novel's view points. Do you agree or disagree with what the novel says about the relationship between gender and physical sex? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the relationship between tradition and the modernity in Middlesex. How does the author represent the traditional and the modern in the story? How do the two interact with each other? What is the impact of modernity on tradition? Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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